The in-form Ireland team continue their 2025 Six Nations journey, this Saturday, against a France team that have already recorded two high-scoring wins.
Simon Easterby's men have already seen off a determined England, Scotland were outgunned in Edinburgh and Wales put up a fight before losing in Cardiff. On Thursday, the interim head coach named his Ireland team to take on France, at Aviva Stadium (2:15pm kick-off, Saturday, March 8th). There are to Easterby's starting XV, with Caelan Doris returning as captain and Jamie Osborne on the right wing.
IRELAND TEAM
15. Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster)(44)
14. Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(6)
13. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster)(80)
12. Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht)(63)
11. James Lowe (Leinster)(39)
10. Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)(6)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(41)
1. Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster)(73)
2. Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(30)
3. Finlay Bealham (Corinthians/Connacht)(49)
4. Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)(17)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster)(59)
6. Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)(112)
7. Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)(71)
8. Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (captain)(49)
Replacements:
16. Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(42)
17. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)(136)
18. Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock College/Leinster)(5)
19. James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)(70)
20. Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(49)
21. Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(26)
22. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)(123)
23. Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(22)
Our Ireland team news liveblog will also keep you up to date on all the contentious issues, updates and reactions to the big calls. Click on the key point you want to read about, or just keep scrolling to see updates in our liveblog [below]:
Ireland players, from right, to left, Jonathan Sexton, Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray pictured together in March 2023. (Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile)
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Paul O'Connell on challenge awaiting this Ireland team
With Andy Farrell on a six-month sabbatical, due to his commitment to the British & Irish Lions, interim coach Simon Easterby will lead this Ireland team through the 2025 Six Nations.
Easterby, who played 65 times for Ireland and two Tests with the Lions, was previously head coach of Welsh side, Scarlets before joining Joe Schmidt, in 2014, and becoming forwards coach of the Irish national team. The 49-year-old made his Test debut against Scotland, when Warren Gatland was Ireland coach, in 2000.
Previewing Saturday's game against France, Ireland forwards coach Paul O'Connell said, "I think France have been excellent. There is a lot more unstructured play happening in the Top 14 when you look at Toulouse and Bordeaux playing. It's been really effective for those teams, and they’re very good at it.
"France have a little bit of structure in terms of how they come out of their own half, but they can play that unstructured game really well. They do a lot of it off mauls. They are very good at reading the speed of the ball, picking it up and starting playing. It can be hard to defend.
On Monday, the IRFU confirmed that Max Deegan, Darragh Murray, Tommy O’Brien and Tom O’Toole had been retained with the senior squad after recently being in for 'A' duty.
